All You Need To Know About Office 365

By Alex D White


After introducing Office 365, Microsoft has received plenty of publicity on the service. As such, you might be wondering if the service is right for you, a client, or your organization. Office 365 is basically the cloud version of Microsoft. You can connect with it on the internet, set up an account, make a subscription, download the necessary files and start working. You do not need any installation disks. You may want to know a few things about office 365 in order to know if it is for you.

The main distinguishing feature about the new service is the cloud. Cloud is a term used in the IT industry to describe an off site file hosting service. With Microsoft, you upload the files you want to use and synchronize them with Windows Sky Drive, which is cloud for Microsoft. You can then access them later on when needed from any location or device that has no office.

By now, you have probably gotten used to the desktop version of office. A couple of distinguishing features come with Office 365, including the office web apps. These applications are linked to SkyDrive via the internet. With office web apps, you can be able to access your files and edit them from any device without changing the format.

Office 365 goes hand in hand with a compatible operating system. You can use it with windows 7 or 8 or OS X10.6 on Mac or later versions. In addition, you also need to have an internet connection in order to install it, activate and manage your subscriptions. Some of the browsers that are compatible with the service include Chrome 18, Safari 5, Firefox 12 and IE 9.

If you want to make a subscription, you will have to consider a few factors. This is because the subscriptions come in the form of planned premiums. If you want to use it with a company of less than 25 users, you will take the small business premium subscription. For companies with more than 25 users, the midsize business premium will apply. Similarly, enterprise premium plan will accommodate more than 3000 users.

The service is also compatible with Microsoft office 2010 and 2013. You can use it with Office 2007, but some of the functions may not work. These files can work well with Office web Apps. If you have office 2013, you can upload the files you want to share with your contacts on SkyDrive without necessarily installing Office 365 and then invite them to view the files.

For you to maximize the service, you still need to install it on your computer even though office web apps are free. Office web apps have great benefits, including allowing you to view files and edit them on devices that do not have office. This does not make it a substitute for office 365 or the regular desktop version of office. There a number of things you cannot do with only the office web apps like viewing your files on multiple devices with no office.

Moreover, you do not have to worry about security with this service. Office 365 uses the same user-level security as the desktop version, as well as the similar Trust Centre. This enables you to set restrictions with the Rights Management Service that supports its encryption.




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